I have never been great at playing tricks. I’m a horrible liar and most good tricks require you to be able to keep a straight face. But I decided that it was high time I trick myself and Jorge. We LOVE mashed potatoes! Our favorite are the little red potatoes, left with most of the skin on, boiled, and mashed with sour cream, butter, milk, and salt and pepper. Holy yum. But we have not seen those on our kitchen table for a while since we have been trying to watch our weight and carbs stick to my ass like glue aren’t great. But the other night Jorge wanted steak….and if I am having steak, I want potatoes. So I figured, ok it’s time to buck up and figure out some way to trick myself into thinking that Smashed Cauliflower is mashed potatoes. The biggest challenge was going to be overpowering the cauliflower. Because while I love its green brother from another mother, broccoli, I abhor cauliflower.

So there it was, me vs. the cauliflower. I tried many recipes I found online…from roasting the cauliflower to including butter in the mash. But while it tasted ok, it just wasn’t right. I was missing that tang from the sour cream. Plus the amount of butter I had to use to try to make them edible was definitely not ass friendly. So I threw out that batch and started fresh, I was on a mission. And then it came to me…like the gods of cauliflower sent me a message….Greek Yogurt! I used the fat free Greek Yogurt and it gave me that tang I was missing! It added that creamy consistency and it made me into an instant lover of cauliflower! I have 4 bags waiting in my freezer now!

While it is not exactly the same as mashed potatoes, it is a wonderful alternative. And they really do hit the spot when you are craving mashed potatoes. In all honesty, the biggest difference is the texture. They are a little more “runny” then regular mashed potatoes. But when you consider the added health benefits and the lower nutrition facts, these will win every time at our house!

Smashed Cauliflower

Yield:4 servings

Recipe Note: Below you will find that I used my food processor for this recipe. But you can easily mash them with a good potato masher. Just make sure that you go ahead and mince your garlic and shallot before adding to the cauliflower.

Directions:

In a large stock pot over high heat, combine water and the Chicken flavored 'Better Than Bouillon'. Bring to a boil and add cauliflower. Boil for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a food processor, process shallot, garlic, and asagio cheese until finely diced. Then carefully add cauliflower, Greek yogurt, and seasonings. Make sure your lid is closed back on tight and hit pulse just a couple times until everything is combined, but not pureed. You want to be careful about how many times you hit 'pulse' because you can process the cauliflower too much and find yourself with thick soup.

Once you have reached the proper consistency, empty cauliflower mixture into a medium sized bowl and give it a taste. If you need more seasonings or a little more Greek yogurt, add it and mix gently to make sure you don't mash the cauliflower any more then it needs to be.

Garnish with lots of fresh chives and serve immediately!

**Or if you have extra chicken stock/broth lying around use it instead! And to make this dish vegetarian try the Better Than Bouillon Vegetable.